
The youngest leader, visionary and reformer, “Abiy Ahmed” at the age of 43 only won the “Nobel Peace Prize” on Friday for his struggles to fix the long-running conflict with neighboring foe Eritrea. He was awarded the honor for his effortless attempts to “achieve peace and international cooperation”. On July 9, 2018, Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki have formally closed a 20-year-old delay between the countries in the wake of the 1998-2000 border conflict.
The award boost up the morale of the leader who was worrying about inter-community violence before the parliamentary election in May 2020. He said he was so humbled and thrilled when he heard the news about the award. He added that it’s a prize for Africa, Ethiopia. He also said that now he is building hope that this would encourage the other African leaders to “think it possible to work on peace-building processes”.
The total number of candidates nominated for the prestigious honor and award is 301 that includes 223 individuals and 78 organizations. The Nobel Committee said there is much more to do now, the awards will prove to be the encouragement for leaders. The honor is given based on the criteria set by prize creator Alfred Nobel which means the award must be given to the one who has contributed the most for peace within the last one year.
“We are sure that by far this is Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and we are also hopeful that this award could perhaps be a push on the peace initiatives in the right direction,” Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told AFP.